Once you have made the choice to sell your home, do not just assume it’s ready to be put on the real estate market. The first thing you need to do is take a step back and look at your house from a buyer’s point of view. Ask yourself if the house is looking the best it absolutely can be. Ask yourself what changes need to be made before it goes to the market. Let’s admit that you do want the best dollar value for your house.

Even if you think your house is in decent condition, you still need to look for anything – even the small things- that could use repairs or renovations. You have to remember that a potential buyer will can notice anything. The smallest flaw could stop someone from making an offer on your house. First impressions are vital and renovations that are well planned out will help increase the selling price of your house.

A place to start is painting any room that is looking a little dull. A fresh coat of paint can really bring any room to life. Rooms like typically need makeovers are kitchens and washrooms. Consider new flooring as well. This is all about curb appeal.

De-cluttering is also recommended. By simply removing unneeded items will make your house seem much bigger. Some things you need to ask yourself before you start to de-clutter are: Do I really need this stuff? Do I have duplicates of any of these items? Are these items useful? Are they up-of-date?

Some other key tips for getting your house ready for the market include are taking your pets away from the house during potential buyer showings and make sure your attic, basement and garage are clutter free, just like any other room in your house.

If you are looking to sell your house in the Brampton area, feel free to call me at 905-456-1000 ext. 3411 or email me at info@sandykennedy.com.

No one enjoys cleaning the bathroom, (if you do feel free to come on over and take care of mine whenever you like!) but it is something that requires a lot of hard work and needs to be done often. I am all for cleaning the bathroom less often than I have to, as long as it stays clean in the meantime.

Here are a few ways you can keep your bathroom clean longer:

1) Moisture is the enemy!

Make sure the shower walls, tub, and door are dry before after your shower. Keep a squeegee in or near the shower to remind everyone to wipe it down after each use.

2) Water repellant is your best friend!

To make wiping down and cleaning your shower even easier, spray it with a water repellant. It stops things from sticking and drying to the surface which makes cleaning a breeze!

3) Get rid of that bar of soap

Use liquid soap instead of a bar to keep your sink and surrounding area cleaner longer.

There are plenty more suggestions on how to keep your bathroom cleaner longer here, I highly recommended you check it out! Do you have any tricks or suggestions for keeping a bathroom clean?

According to medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com, multiple sclerosis is defined as ‘a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting movement, ensation, and bodily functions. It is caused by destruction of the myelin insulationcovering nerve fibers (neurons) in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).’

MS is a disease that affects millions of people around the world. A disease needs a cure. In fact, Canada has the highest rate of MS in the world. Every year I enjoy – like many others – participating in the annual MS Walk. This event happens in many communities. This year, more than 14,000 Ontario residents put on their shoes for the walk. The MS Walk in Brampton happened at the Heart Lake Secondary School in the north end of the Flower City. Participants were able to do the 4K, 7K and 10 K walk. I was lucky enough to have my wonderful wife, Tamara and my kids join me for the event. In the end, more than $92,000 was raised!

Looking to sell your home? Good! First, I suggest you call Sandy and start packin’ (I had to throw that in there. :P) and second, you should start staging your home. The truth is, if you want sell your home quicker, you have to do some work on your home. It’s time to make your house look from average to awesome!

An online article from hgtv.ca posted 9 fantastic steps to staging your home so you can sell it faster. Here are a few of those steps:

1) De-Clutter

The first step in getting ready to sell is de-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter so potential buyers aren’t overwhelmed by your stuff, but rather impressed by your home. Counters and other surfaces should be kept clear and any furniture that isn’t needed stored away. The good news about this tedious task is packing and purging will make moving day that much easier.

4) But Don’t Touch the Nursery!

Although the nursery and childrens’ rooms should be de-cluttered and tidied as well, personal effects can remain as they are. There’s something reassuring and touching about seeing a baby’s room that can mean all the difference to a potential buyer (especially ones that are starting a family).

8) Draw Attention to Selling Features

As a general rule closet doors should be kept closed, but if there’s a walk-in that should be noticed, a small note to alert potential buyers is ok.

In the world of real estate, good advertising is important. VERY important. Word-of-mouth is great, yes, but if you want to succeed as a real estate agent, you have to sell yourself, your skills, the homes you have on the market and the areas you service. Flyers, brochures, all of that are all vital, however, we live in a digital world. Technology keeps changing – it is becoming bigger and bigger. Now it’s critical for realtors to embrace the digital world to help sell houses in the wobbly market.

According to an article featured on money.usnews.com, there are 12 FANTASTIC tech tools to help sell your home quicker. Here are a few from the article:

Maps. Maps on agents’ websites, the real estate portals, local property appraisers’ websites and Google Earth all enable buyers to see what’s around a home they’re considering, whether it’s convenient shops and services or an eyesore.

Drone photography. Drones are being used by more companies to take aerial photos of large properties and more expensive homes with views.

Social media. Adam Briley says his team finds Facebook to be a powerful marketing tool, and his agents encourage sellers to share their listings with friends. “Social media is actually huge for us,” he says. Of the 105 homes the team has sold this year, he estimates that 25 were sold through Facebook. “Anyone who’s not getting on social media and using it to their advantage is going to be behind the times,” he says.

Social Media, for me, is huge. I’m growing my social media presence because I know that as a professional real estate agent, I need to compete in this digital market.

Raising money for a good cause is always a great thing! Especially when it involves a few NHL legends!

This past Monday night was Hockey Night for Osler 2015 at Brampton’s Powerade Centre. The event brought out many popular NHL greats in a face off game for health care. I have to say it was awesome to see so many fantastic hockey legends come together for a good cause! Some of the hockey players included Brad May, Bill Derlago, Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman, Gary Roberts and Wendal Clark. It was Team Clark vs Team Roberts! The puck dropped at 7:05 pm, and the final score was 10 – 3 for Team Clark.

A total of $81,000 was raised! The proceeds from the game are going to new equipment at Brampton Civic Hospital, the development of the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness and Etobicoke General.

Here is an interesting face about one of the players, Rick Vaive, and I. Rick and I played high school hockey together in 1976 for part of a season. He went on to a major hockey career whereas I got cut! Hahaha! ;P

Rick was Captain for the Maple Leafs for a period of time and he scored 50 goals! It was so great to see him again after all these years.

Get ready to laugh! So, you’re a real estate agent. or at least you think you could become a real estate agent. Take a look at this hilarious list of the 10 signs that you might be a real estate agent!

5. If you know what it’s like to go from wondering where your next deal will come from… to juggling 3 buyers who want to see 17 homes by 6pm… and suddenly having to negotiate an offer on one of your listings that’s been on the market for a year… all within a split second…you might be a real estate agent.

8. If your tax write-offs almost match what you earned…you might be a real estate agent.

10. If technology is your best friend… AND your worst enemy… you might be a real estate agent.